April 22 (UPI) — A U.S. citizen returning from Mexico was found with 72 grams of a fentanyl-heroin mix and 96 grams of THC vape oil at the Texas Galveston Cruise Port on Sunday, officials said.
Customs and Border Protection officials discovered prescription pill bottles containing a powdery substance identified as a mix of fentanyl and heroin and several vape pens containing marijuana-based THC while examining the individual’s bags, the CBP announced Tuesday.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction in this country,” Acting CBP Area Port Director John Landry said. “CBP works hard every day to keep Americans safe from dangerous and deadly drugs.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine, and one kilogram could kill up to 500,000, according to the CBP.
Hospitals use fentanyl to treat patients who are experiencing severe pain, but the CBP says illicit forms of the drug are manufactured in “clandestine foreign labs” and primarily smuggled through Mexico into the United States for illegal street sales.
Fentanyl often is mixed with other drugs, such as heroin, to increase its potency and sold in a pill form made to look like prescription opioids. It also is sold in powered form and nasal sprays.
The CBP says the lack of oversight and quality control for illicit fentanyl-based drug sales means users run a high risk of overdosing and death.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the primary causes of overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As little as 1 or 2 milligrams of fentanyl can cause death, and counterfeit pills often contain the synthetic drug.
The CDC advises people to never take pills that were not prescribed by a medical doctor and dispensed by a licensed pharmacy.
